One flea, 350 bites per day

Fleas are the most common ectoparasites of companion animals worldwide. More than just causing an irritating itch, these little bloodsuckers can cause serious skin infections and carry diseases that threaten pets’ lives. For every flea you spot on your pet, you can be sure that there are many others in the area. Fleas are expert host-finders and can jump onto a new target with lightning speed as soon as they sense vibrations nearby. A single flea can bite the same host more than 350 times in the same day. With the capacity to lay up to 50 eggs per day, in just nine months, fleas can propagate over a trillion descendants. The lifecycle of the flea can be completed in as little as two weeks as it develops from an egg, to larva, to pupa and finally into an adult. Once a pupa, a flea can lie dormant for over 6 months while waiting for the right environmental conditions.